Pro wrestler Maurice ‘Mad Dog’ Vachon dies at 84

MONTREAL — Maurice Vachon, best known to wrestling fans as “Mad Dog Vachon,” has died. He passed away Thursday morning at his home in Nebraska with his wife Kathie by his side.

Vachon, who was born in Ville Émard on Sept. 14, 1929, was a fixture on the professional wrestling circuit for 40 years.

At 5 foot 7 inches and weighing 231 pounds in his prime, he was a fire plug and his signature wrestling move was the “piledriver.” With his signature bald head and black-as-coal beard, he was a striking figure.

He wrestled alone and in tag teams with his younger brother Paul “The Butcher” Vachon.

He lost a leg in a terrible car accident in 1987 and, according to wrestling writer Greg Oliver, was never the same.

“Every time I saw him, he got progressively worse, but he always had a twinkle in his eye,” Oliver told The Gazette from his home in Toronto.

“An indication of Vachon’s importance is that in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels, we ranked him the fourth greatest bad guy in the history of professional wrestling,” Oliver said.

“In the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians, I ranked Vachon the fourth greatest Canadian pro wrestler ever.

“In the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams, the team of Butcher and Mad Dog are ranked in the Top 25.”

Vachon is survived by his wife, Kathie, brother Paul and sister Vivian Vachon.